The Princess of the Cloud Village
by Eliza Nire
Summary: Love is dangerous when your life is at stake for the one you charish the most. Book 2 of 4. First book is "Through Akatsuki's Eyes" Please go read and come back to this one!
1. Chapter 1

The Princess of the Cloud Village  
Chapter 1

The stinging tears had flooded over her for the past two days. Now in a distant town, far from the Akatsuki hideout, Ashiko sat in at a small table, nibbling on some ramen. She was going through a state of denial, trying to forget the orginization, but trying to remember how the hell she was going to get home. The tiny hotel she was staying at was anything but hospitable, and it smelled of garlic and old people. She rubbed her nose and pushed away her ramen, throwing her shirts hood over her head. Only getting four hours of sleep in the past two days was begining to bite at her nerves. She was already a wreck as it was, seeing as how there was no up to date map in this forsaken town, or because of the fact that she could'nt remember squat.A small child had at least told her they were in the Village Hidden in the Rain.She had no idea why the idea of going home was eating her from the inside. Something felt wrong, but it felt even more so staying here.  
Being that connected to an orginization she had only spent a week with... it scared her. The thought of his stupid orange mask...stupid eye patch...stupid Tobi...

"Can I get you anything else?"

Ashiko threw her head up in a startled expression. She had been off her guard for the past few days...she had to get more alert."Im...fine. Thanks." She handed the blonde waitress her ramen bowl and stood up from her chair, making her way outside into the misty morning. She inhaled deeply, tasting the thick air. She turned her head in each direction, surveying the empty street, crickets echoing in the distance. Ashiko felt around her waist for her sword sheaths... but they were still gone. When she was in such a rush to get out of there she forgot her beautiful swords in Tobi's room. Pein probably fed them to Zetsu or something. Ashiko took one more taste of the air, and dashed through the empty streets, making for the northern exits, hoping to find a more helpful town. Even the wind brushing her face, and the smell of morning dew could'nt help calm her. Something in the streets felt ominous and dark. Already on the outskirts of the town she stood next  
to a street pole, listening for a faint noise, or pressence."I know your'e there!"She shouted into the air, wondering if she was just being paranoid.

"Your in a bit of a hurry arn't you?" The dark voice came from behind her, with a snide tone.

"Zetsu..." Ashiko swung herself backwards and flung her kunai at the plant.

"Thats really pointless ya'know?" The lighter voice said, catching the kunai in mid air. "Dont get mad, im here to help." He bent down to place a scroll on the dirt path between them, followed by her katanas. "Pein's really going to be mad at me for this." The white side winked at her and he dissolved once more into the ground. "You best get moving...before he finds you..." The voice seemed to waver, and then evaporated into the echoing streets.

She stood frozen on the spot. He didn't try to take her? "There is something serisouly wrong with that orginization..." She uncoiled herself from her stance and reached down to her harmless swords. Once again attached to her waist, it made her feel less jittery. She bent down once more to wearily pick up the scroll. It was sealed with a black dot, but scrapped it open with her thumbnail. Uncoiling it, it reveiled a detailed map of the ninja world. More extence details than she'd ever seen in a map before. Wave currents, moutain ranges, every small town she'd never heard of, even a pinpointed green mark that red above it 'You are Here'. Apparently this town was named Hitsuo. "You have got to be kidding me...". She relized, the only logical way to get home was of course through the Fire Country. She hated leaf ninja with a passion, for many reasons. They based everything on their friends and would'nt even care if half the world went to war, as long as they  
were'nt in it. She grunted and slid the scroll into her kunai bag, setting out once more for her village. Slowing slightly and turning her head she could'nt help but see the black and white man who stood in the spot she just was ten seconds ago. He was smiling at her and waving.

"Good luck Ashiko!" He laughed and disolved into the ground once more.

"I really hate those people." She sprinted forward and refused to look back again. Something urged her to go back...and something ate at her to keep on running away. She was begining to think Zetsu had an influence on her, giving her split personalities.

""" """ """

Two Days Earlier

"How the HELL could you just let her go like that?! She could get Killed!" Tobi screamed into his leaders face, both fists around Pein's shirt collar.

"I couldn't tell her to stay here after this little incident she had made..." He managed to kick the boulder that was still laying in his office.

"You know the people in this village are screwed up! If some ninja's were to find her out there they could kill her! Maybe even worse, who knows?!" He pushed Pein backwards and walked off to the door. "You better be damn happy that im to worried about her right now to deal with you." He pointed a single finger at him and said "If anything has happened to her, I swear on whatever screwed up God exsists, I. will. kill. you." He stormed out of the room slamming the door so hard, a large crack had run up half its course. He made it into the living room, about to set off when Hidan entered the room.

"Tobi, I -"

"Dont screw with me right now Hidan." Tobi shot his head over to the purple eyed man, the same that Ashiko's eyes had been. "As soon as Ashiko came out of your room is when things started going bad, you did something to her, I know it! Everything you do ends up screwing with other peoples lives!"

"It comes with the job discription." Hidan sighed and tried to walk over to Tobi, still frozen by the hideout entrance. "It's not my fault she started to remember things Tobi, we all knew it was bound to happen. Even you did, even if you did'nt want to believe it."

"Maybe thats true, maybe your right! But at the same time this could have ended so much better, without a life being taken by this screw up village! A life that I saved!" Tobi slunk his way through the opening and out into the clearing.

"Tobi! Try to be a bit more rational about this! It was her choice, not ours!" Deidara's own squeeky voice chimmed in from behind Hidan, now exiting the hideout behind him follwed by Itachi.

"Your just going to get yourself hurt Tobi, just come inside we can figure out what to do-" Hidan tryed to say, but got cut off. A deep snarl ripped from Tobi who flung himself around and faced the three ninjas.

"None of you know how much danger she's in right now! She could already be dead! Instead of just sitting here like a bunch on kids, im actaully going to go and help her! You can all hudle in your teams and pretend all you want to, but that isn't going to help Ashiko!" He swallowed hard, he hated saying her name. In one fluid motion he zipped up his Akatsuki jacket completely, and put his right hand over his mask. "Do what you want, but im leaving." With one crushing second his mask shattered, scattered in the mud around his feet. Three looks of shock stared at the sharingan that pertruded from his right eye. He swirled around, cloak swaying, and dashed as fast as he could into the forest, his eye trying to adjust to the surroundings.

Deidara and Hidan stood in there same rooted positions with looks of awe on there faces. No one spoke for five seconds.

"And so the plot thickens." Itachi strode off back to him room, pondering about his newly recognized relative.


	2. Chapter 2

The Princess of the Cloud Village

Chapter 2

"How did you find out about her, Pein?" Deidara said, rummaging through the hideout and picking up any scattered trash.

Pein leaned against the couch, fiddling with his fingers. " We knew for awhile after she came here, Zetsu was the one who put the idea in our minds to begin with. There was a poster for her saying she was missing but her hair AND eyecolor where diffrent so we did'nt think much of it. But now because of her bloodline limit we know that had to be her."

"And you told her?" Itachi came striding in beside the newly arrived Kakuzu and Kisame.

"We had no choice. She is honestly more powerful than we first aniticipated. I know she almost cut Hidan in half, good swordsmanship, but she also has very influencal chakra connections with...rock apparently." Pein declared.

" If she did'nt know then she would'nt have hurt us! And anyawys I doubt she could have done much damage." Kisame stepped up and said.

"Would you like me to point out the giant boulder in my office that o so happened to be inches from my HEAD!" Pein began to rub his temples.

Konan strode in after that last comment and put a gentle hand on Kisame's shoulder. " We are all going to miss her. She started to remember after a very short period of time. I wasn't even anticipating she would relize enough about us until one or two months." She walked to Pein and put a hand on his shoulder as well. " We need to live and let live. Tobi is going off into wild persuit of a woman who could well be out of our country by now. She needed to return to her family before things got messy around here."

"She does'nt even know where she's going." Kakuzu mumbled under his breath. Itachi was messing with a strand of his hair and glancing around the room.

" Ashiko should have a better idea about where she will be going now. Im sorry Pein-sama, but I refuse to let her fend for herself in this village." Zetsu popped up next to the couch and bowed to Pein.

" I just dont want you people dogging her like a bunch of love struck fools! We already lost Tobi to her, God help the poor fool, and I doubt he's coming back until she decides to return, which we know is a very unlikely chance." Pein motioned to the doorway."Go after her is you want, but do not expect a welcome return. We knew her for a week, and you all look at her for a friend."

"Its better than having no spark of innocence in this damn hideout." Sasori strode into the center of the living area with Ashiko's fox puppet postioned ontop of his shoulder. " Even criminals need a solice every now and then, Pein. Death isn't always welcome for some of us, Hidan included, why cant we laugh,smile,try and not to feel like a complete morbid ball of depression?"

"Im not telling you to not be happy, laugh, or whatever it is you want! Just be happy what you have here. If you could go back to the days I met all of you, would you rather say no, and live on with your sad lives? Deidara, would you rather get beated everyday and be forced to work in the horrible temple? Hidan, would you like to be back within your religions walls and be forced to preform with the rest of you...twisted family? Kisame would you like to go back home and see if your family is back, to see if you could try and make ammends?!"

Everyone started to fidget and the air of uncomfortableness seemed to grow thick. "THATS IT!" Itach exclaimed, everyone except Konan jumping at his comment.

"What are you talking about?" Hidan said, rolling his eyes.

"I knew I felt a new chakra in here! Its been confusing me ever since a week ago! Konan, you're pregnate!" Itachi said, pointing his forefinger at her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

The Princess of the Cloud Village

"To be technical, yah." Konan furrowed her eyebrows slightly and a light red shade tinted her cheeks.

"Well holy crap in a hat, leader's ganna have a spawn." Zetsu had a look of honest suprise on his face as he fitcheted with his robe's sleeve.

Pein sighed, and hung his head slightly "Does it really matter that much? We'd rather not dwell on that...subject to be honest." He looked around the room and gazed at the faces of each of his followers. Diffrent expressions dawned on each of their faces. Sasori had his forefinger wrapped around Deidara's own finger, they bothed looked slightly saddened. Kisame was dwelling in his own thought, as was Kakuzu. Itachi had his eye's lowered to the ground, a look of deep regret in his eyes. Zetsu leaned against the wall with his arms cross, eye's also downcast, but as for Hidan...

His eye's brimmed with tears that sparkled a deep silver against his beautiful purple eyes. He stood completely still, moving only once to bow at his leader. " Pein, you saved me from the worst life I could have wished upon anybody. I have been blessed with friends, " He motioned to the crowd on his right, " and I have been given an opprotunity to prove that I have more to give to the world than pitying myself. I will not spend everyday in this hole just wondering what the next mission will be, or what's ganna happen to me next time I go out on a mission. If I will die." He smiled slightly and raised his head, wipeing away the tears that were flowing down his pale cheeks. He pulled his Akatsuki ring from his finger and held it out in front of him torwards Pein. " On your permission leader, I wish to leave the Akatsuki."

Deidara's eye's grew large at the newly formed Hidan, as did Kisame's. Kakuzu pivoted his head in his teammates direction and did'nt say a sound.

Pein grabbed the ring from Hidan's palm and rolled it around in his own hand. "You have five minutes to get out of the vicinity of my hideout or you will be killed." Pein thrust his right arm towards Hidan, who in return shook his old leaders hand firmly and gave him a weak smile.

"I could'nt expect more." He strode over to each member of Akatsuki, Itachi first and shook their hands. To Itachi he smiled, Kisame he told him to take care of everyone, to Sasori he said to take care of Deidara no matter how annoying he got, to Deidara he said to not blow up any more arms, to Zetsu he said to go on a diet. and to Konan he told her to keep a firm hand on leader. He turned to his teamate and glowered at him momentarily and stuck his arm out in front of him "You always where a greedy jackass."

"You'll always be a stubborn asshat." He grabbed Hidan's wrist and pulled him hard. Kakuzu wrapped his left arm around his teamate, hugging him awkwardly, and said his last words to the Hidan he had spent 24 years of his ancient life with. " Promise you'll meet me on the other side of this, Hidan."

Another tear, diffrent from the others. This was released with a smile on his face and a happiness in the air. " I would'nt have it any other way."

"Three Minutes." Pein announced, cracking his knuckles.

"Good bye, friends." He unsnapped his Akatsuki cloak from his body and threw it to the ground, strapping his scythe to his back. "See you all when time permits it."

"Where are you going Hidan?" Konan piped up and said.

"I think I might pay my wife a visit." And with that note he dashed from his home, the breeze fresh on his face, the sun in his hair and a light in his body he had never felt before.

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Exhaustion covered her every limb, dehydrated and sore, she felt like she could go no further. As she finally collapsed in a wooded alcove of a deep forest, she could almost swear something big was happening to the world. An entire moment of clear awakeness to her surroundings made her realize all at once that maybe why she left wasn't important, maybe she was living with criminals for a reason, and maybe she loved because it was ment to be. Her conciousness slipped from her grip, being submerged into deep blackness. The next day she did'nt even remember her falling, much less her thoughts. But maybe this was how it was ment to be. Fate is always cruel to those who always have the best destinys.

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He could run for hours, he could try. His mind raced thinking about his actions. He almost felt naked without his mask on. Maybe Ashiko had a point, it seemed to be a sort of security blanket now that he looked back on it. No one could recognise him now, no matter who he came across. Dodging limbs and fallen logs had become to constant it did'nt even take much thought for the action to be done. Well, that was before he ran bluntly into a pack of grey suited ninja's, their forehead protectors dawning a weird music note like symbol. His eye's only momentarily processed the scene, a beautiful girl laying between them with hair as black as night, she seemed to be in a deep sleep but dirty as she was he could'nt stop to notice the life that seemed to breathe from her. That was the only thing he could see before a shrouded ninja hit him squarely in the head with a large club knocking him into unconciousness within mili-seconds.

He had to get up

Why?

It's so useless now.

Why should he keep going?

Even through the darkness of his unconciousness the picture of the beautiful girl resenated back to him.

Tobi can do.

Tobi is a good boy.

The dark hair, the life that resignated from her, the familiarity.

Tobi will find you.

Tobi will love you.

Tobi can help you with anything Ms. Ashi. Tobi Promises.

Ashiko

Familiarity...Ashiko...

Tobi's eye's flashed open, his face laying in leaves in dirt as he gropped around the ground for anything to pull himself up with. He stood up to fast, wobbled, and nearly collapsed if he had'nt have caught himself on a tree. The body was gone, yes, but the foot prints seemed fresh enough. So many footprints...

"Im coming."


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Princess of the Cloud Village**_

Ashiko lazily swept her hand across her forehead, brushin away the strands of black hair that dangled in her face. As she moved, her shackles clanked slightly, scraping against the hard concrete floor. Her eye's barely remained open, but they were open enough to see the face of the silver haired ninja that stared at her through her prison cell door, next to two guards. He had glasses, and a tight ponytail.

"Princess?" He said, calling out to her with a sarcastic tone.

Ashiko raised her head up enough to give her a dignified appearence. Starved, lonely, and filthy, she had been in this prison for nearly two weeks. Although she could'nt cry anymore, she could fight... at least, as much as they let her. She slowly got to her feet, holding on to the the wall as she did so to keep steady. She kicked her left foot's shackle chain in front of her ever so slightly, making a loop.

"Dear me, you actaully have the strength to stand. I am impressed, Princess." Kabuto said, as he slowly worked the keys in the lock of the cell door.

"Im not as feeble as you wish me to be, bastard." She spat back at him.

"Ah, I would'nt think to highly of yourself, dear Ashiko. My guards did a number on you when they found you unconcious in the woods. Be lucky I got there when I did...." He finally pushed the door open slowly, the hinges creaking loudly, flakes of rust dusting off. His guards stayed behind as he made his way into the cell. "We have yet to make contact with your village, as far as I know. Lord Orochimaru greatly appreciates your stay with us..." He smirked and strode over to Ashiko, cupping his hand on her cheek"... and so do I."

Ashiko knew Kabuto was stupid for being such an advanced ninja, and she took advantage of this moment with much pleasure. As soon as Kabuto had numbly touched her cheek, her plan went into order. Ashiko kicked her leg back, Kabuto's foot trapped in the loop her chain had made on the floor. He fell back with a blunt look of suprise on his face, and as he was falling, Ashiko rammed her elbow underneath his nose, breaking it and sending him head first into the concrete. Before his guards could react, her last efort gave her the most pleasure. Ashiko stood on the chain wrapped around his ankle, and yanked his ankle up with as much force as she could muster.

Kabuto's scream could be heard for many, many cells down. His guards finally took action against Ashiko, to late to help. Guard one threw her against the wall and choked the last concious breath out of her, until she went limp in his hands. Guard two helped to soothe the screaming Kabuto, lifting him up to take him to the infirmary. "THAT LITTLE BITCH!" He writhed in the guards arms and cursed to the now fullfilled Ashiko. How she has longed for this day.

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Tobi had followed the tracks for many days before finding the final destination of Ashiko's captures. A five story high concrete structure stood before him, in the Land Hidden in Sound. The guards marched in orderly fashions throughout the grounds of the prison. He had camped here for more than a week, trying to find any sign that his love was being kept here. Tobi had looked for weak points in the fortress's structure, using every piece of wisdom he had, even his bloodline limit...which took him enough effort as it was. Tonight was the same as all others, he hopped along the fortress walls, looking in the windows for any sign of Ashiko. He had completely searched the East, South, and half of the North wall with no results.

"Did you hear about what that one girl did to Kabuto?" Tobi stopped abruplty and leaned below this window to listen to more of the conversation.

"She broke his ankle, and nose while she was partially unconcious. No wonder Orochimaru is making such a big deal out of her." A deeper voiced guard said.

"Not even that! No one's fed her for two weeks, no water, nothing! She's practically dead as is it, but Lord Orochimaru is strict on his order." Said the younger, more energetic guard. Tobi was about to hop to the next window when his heart sank as he heard the words...

"Isn't she a princess?"

He heard a door slamming open, and the two guards argueing with a more senior official. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they made their exit. Tobi looked onto the horizon an saw the new morning sun approaching. He had the information he needed to continue his search soon, but as he lowered himself onto a small outcropping coming off the wall, he noticed a small path leading out into the surrounding woods. He balanced along the outcropping, dropped onto a guard watch tower, and landed on the outside of the fortress without making a sound. As he made his way to the path he saw that it was well worn by soldier boots, some traces of blood remaining. Tobi dashed along this path for quiet sometime before he heard a small murmuring in the distance. It grew louder, and louder, until he knew this was no small dodged behind a bush and crouched low. The murmuring turned to screams, and the screams turned to gutteral growls. A medium sized building resided in a small clearing that the path ended in. The screams echo'ed off the trees, and the guards standing at the doors of the building squirmed, and cringed as a new scream came every so often. A crash came from behind the door and the guards gave each other looks of worry, all backing away from the small building, spears ready."Where is my body...?!" Said a voice beyond the door.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" The wooden door slintered into hundreds of pieces as the door was kicked down with brutal force. A very pale, very slender man stood in the doorway that Tobi knew all to well. His arms dangled limply by his sides, long black hair wipping around his face which held a menecingly deadly scream.

Orochimaru


End file.
